Hokage Trainee Uzumaki
by JaredDirac
Summary: What would happen if the Hokage genuinely took an interest in Naruto's dream?
1. Chapter 1

"I see Iruka saw fit to promote you Naruto" Sarutobi smiled at Naruto. "I'm glad you've managed to master a clone technique. You've earned it!"

Naruto smiled up at him "Dattebeyo! I'll be taking that hat from you in no time old man!"

Sarutobi hesitated a step and looked at Naruto from the corner of his eye. "Are you still holding onto that dream? Even now after you've faced combat?"

Naruto immediately jumped in front of him and glared with his eyes narrowed, "Believe it! I'm gonna be the best Hokage ever! Then everyone will acknowledge me! Don't start doubting me now Old man!"

"I just thought that you'd let go of your dream when you became an adult Naruto. You realize that you are now a Ninja of the leaf right?" Sarutobi made eye contact with Naruto "That is not a good enough reason to want to be Hokage for me to give up my Hat."

"What?" Naruto screamed "But you've always believed in me before" He looked down at the ground and kicked a pebble. "What's changed?"

"You're an adult now Naruto and that is a childish dream" Sarutobi shrugged "I figured you would outgrow it before you got your headband. I guess I'll have to show you what it means to be Hokage" He grabbed Naruto's shoulder in an iron grip and body flickered to Hokage's tower. Then strode inside with purpose while Naruto was struggling to reorient himself.

"Hey wait up old man!" Naruto jogged after the Hokage, trying to catch up "What gives? Why are you being so mean all the sudden?"

Sarutobi chuckled "I'm not being mean Naruto, I merely expect you to keep up. You're a ninja now." He nodded to his secretary as he opened the door to his office and ushered Naruto inside. "Now, when you think of being Hokage, you think of fighting correct?" He looked down at Naruto with an eyebrow raised.

"Well Yeah! The Hokage's the strongest ninja in the village! He's got to fight evil ninja and protect the Village!" Naruto's huge smile faltered as he looked at Sarutobi's exasperated expression.

"And what do you think I do all day? Train?" Sarutobi gestured dismissively "no of course not, I go out every day and save princesses right?" He laughed "I wish"

"You see being the Hokage is not so glamorous. Do you see this paperwork?" He gestured to the piles as tall as Naruto on the floor next to him. "How can I trust you to be Hokage when you can't do your academy homework if this is what awaits you?"

Naruto gaped at the paperwork on the floor next to him. "You do all that Paperwork? I'm sorry Gramps! That's got to be torture!"

The Hokage laughed "Of course it is" He gestured Naruto back outside and shut the door. "And believe me, I hate it just as much as you hate the homework you do at the Academy. Now follow me, I've got more to show you." He quickly strode out of the tower and looked up to the Hokage monument. "Ready?" He looked down at Naruto

"What?" Naruto managed to get out before he was pulled into another Shunshin. The destination being the top of the monument.

"What do you see" Sarutobi gestured to the village "when you look out on this Village?"

"Huh? I guess I see some buildings, a couple of people?" Naruto pouted "that's a weird question Jiji, It's just the Village"

"Exactly, the Hokage was smiling, and do you know what I see?" He laughed "I see a bunch of clans, the Aburame are in those dense trees there" He pointed to a densely wooded area "the Inuzuka" he gestured to a group of buildings surrounding a large meadow "the Hyuuga" He pointed at several taller buildings surrounded by a large wall. "It would take me hours to list them all. You are friends with quite a few of their heirs, so I'm sure you know a few. The Nara, Akamichi, and Yamanaka are famous. So were the Uchiha until I failed them."

"And all of those people fight constantly, like children" He giggled a little. "You should hear some of the squabbles they have. He mimed two children squabbling 'They were rude in the flower shop, well you were rude about our wall being too tall.' It's exhausting having to deal with them! And how could I trust you to deal with them?" He turned to Naruto. And looked down at him sharply "Indeed how could I trust you, the prankster, the hyperactive ninja, the boy with no tact to deal with those squabbles?"

Naruto glared, "I'll beat them up! I don't care if they're big babies about it, I'll be the strongest Hokage ever!"

"Exactly" He shouted at Naruto "You don't care if they're protected, if they're happy. You only care about being the Hokage. And that is not enough."

Naruto looked confused now, "but isn't the Hokage the strongest ninja in the village?"

"No!" the Hokage looked upset at Naruto "That is what a child believes! Do you not think my students have surpassed me in strength? Why are they not Hokage then?" He turned back to look at the village. "The Sannin could all fight me equally at this point. And they are far younger. Why not allow one of them the seat?"

Naruto's shoulders slumped, "I don't know, I just always assumed they weren't as strong as you." He started to turn and walk away. "Does this mean I'll never be Hokage no matter how strong I get?"

"That is correct Naruto, you will never be Hokage…" Sarutobi Frowned and grabbed his shoulder. "Not while you lack the one quality that is most essential to the Hokage." He looked back out over Konoha. "You must love this Village and be willing to do anything for it and its people."

Naruto looked up at him and all but screamed "But I just told you I'd protect it Jiji! Don't you believe me?"

"Protecting them is not enough Naruto, you must want them to be happy." He placed a hand on Naruto's head and turned it took look out over the village. "They must become your top priority. Above all other things. Not being acknowledged, not ramen, not sleep, not happiness, nothing matters but the village." He closed his eyes "I know you think that you would protect this Village Naruto. But you must ask yourself honestly, if you had to give up everything else and only labor for the village in horrible torment. Could you do it?"

"I have shown you what I do for a living, I do homework, all day every day. I deal with squabbling children when I have a break from homework. Do you think that's fun?" He laughed "the highlight of my day is sleeping and food. Occasionally I can make time to see you. Could you resign yourself to that kind of life?" He looked down at Naruto, "When the life of a Jounin is so much better, could you really give up adventure, love, children, teaching. All those things to be Hokage?"

Naruto glared at him now, "I told you I was going to be Hokage, if there's even a small chance I can, I will. No matter what it takes. If it means I'm going to do homework for the next thousand years I'll do it. I don't go back on my word!" He stopped and thought for a second "And I'll make the people in the village happy if that's what it takes to be Hokage, I'll love them, and they'll love me in return!"

Sarutobi's grin stretched across his face as he looked down at Naruto. "You do realize you'll have to stop pranks right? You'll have to less loud, you'll have to focus, and learn those boring academy lessons."

Naruto frowned, "I can understand pranks, but why do I have to stop being loud and learn those stupid lessons?"

"Do you think you'll be able to make the clans stop fighting if you can't stop screaming and don't know your history?" "I have an apprentice much like you, and he's just as loud as you are, why do you think he's not Hokage?"

"Does that mean I can't make jokes any more either? I don't want to end up like Shino!" He shuddered a little "He's so creepy."

Sarutobi reached over and whacked him on the head. "Don't insult the people in the village, How do you think Shino would feel if he heard you say that?" he shook his head "When you speak of someone, always assume they will hear what you said. This is your first of many lessons as a Hokage trainee."

Naruto stopped rubbing his head and glaring. "You mean it! You'll train me to take over the hat?" "You're the best Hokage-Jiji!" He latched onto the Hokage and squeezed until Sarutobi whacked him over the head again. "What was that for?" He all but shouted into the Hokage's face.

"VOLUME" the Hokage roared at Naruto, startling him into falling over. "Do not raise your voice to others except to make a point." He turned and started to pace. "Respect is something important, so is restraint. Had I been a Civilian that hug could have cracked a few of my ribs, and Hokage-Jiji is not an acceptable way to address me." He looked down at Naruto. "From now on when I am wearing this hat you will address me as Hokage-sama. Do you understand?"

Naruto stood up and dusted off his shirt "Sure Jiji!" He jumped a little when the Hokage glared down at him. "I mean Hokage-Sama"

"Good, we'll work on manners and I'll give you a few scrolls to read on your own." Sarutobi took off his hat and made a few hand signs. Naruto jerked when it turned into two chairs. "You've got to teach me that one Hokage-sama!" "The hat is off Naruto" Sarutobi smiled "Jiji's fine when I'm not wearing it"

"Now take a seat, we'll discuss what you need to learn to be a good Hokage." He settled down into his chair with a tired sigh. "I know your scores at the academy were abysmal, so I'll focus a lot on remedial history with you. But I expect you to go to Iruka and get your own instruction when I'm not with you. I want a write up every Monday of everything you've learned over the past week. Do you understand?"

"Homework about Homework? Why do I need to know this crap Jiji? It's not like I need that for anything!" Sarutobi smiled and shook his head. "Learning history is a great way to learn a variety of subjects that are important to everyday life for leaders like the Hokage. It improves your Vocabulary, teaches you things not to do. And above all else tells you about problems that may come up in the future!"

"But I'm not smart like that Jiji!" Naruto slumped "I suck at reading, and I don't want to spend time studying stuff so boring!"

"Bullshit" Naruto gaped at the Hokage "you are one of the smartest of the Rookie Genin Naruto, don't lie to me. What you lack is Discipline, and for good reason. The amount of yin and yang chakra is imbalanced in you. Due to the Kyuubi's constant addition the Yang side you will always find it hard to sit still and focus on something, your mind's chakra is dwarfed by the amount of energy you have."

Naruto looked down and frowned, "So what can I do? If it's always going to be harder for me to learn what's the point?"

Sarutobi smiled, "I'm guessing you didn't read the Forbidden scroll very deeply if you can't guess what I'm about to tell you. Kage Bunshin is fundamentally suited to you Naruto. It works by splitting your yang chakra equally among your clones. So if you create 3 clones, you will only have one fourth of your yang chakra left, the other 3/4ths will be in your clones. However, your yin chakra is not affected at all, and is in fact shared by you and your clones without splitting."

Naruto interrupted, "What? What's Yin and Yang Chakra? And don't pull math out on me, it makes my head hurt!"

Sarutobi stared blankly at him. "You don't know what Yin and Yang Chakra is? That's basic fractions. How many lessons did you skip?"

Naruto rubbed the back of his neck and blushed, "I guess more than I thought! Sorry old man! I'll study hard, believe it!"

"How did you get the jutsu to work then? It requires advanced manipulation of Yin/Yang! Did you even read the scroll?"

"So that's what all that writing was! I just looked at the hand symbols and kept trying until I got it!"

Sarutobi's jaw dropped open, "You've got to be the luckiest ninja alive. You should be dead right now." "This jutsu has killed more Jounin than any other except the Hiraishin."

He shook himself, "Okay I'll do my best to explain it. Basically you have to think of Yin chakra as 'thinking' energy okay? And yang chakra as 'fighting' energy. One deals with your body, the other with your mind. Now you have a lot of fighting chakra, that's why you heal so fast and you're always full of energy. But your thinking chakra is normal if a bit high for a Genin. So when people say you have a 'Kage level chakra' they really mean that your total pool is as large as mine. So if your total pool is as large as mine, but your yin is only normal Genin…"

"Then my Fighting chakra must be HUGE!" Naruto shouted excitedly

"VOLUME" Sarutobi shouted right in Naruto's face "but yes, that is the general idea. The Kage Bunshin divides your Yang equally between your Bunshin, but your Yin is left in a single pool, and when your clones dispel their memories are protected in the Yin pool. Now your Kage Bunshin are limited by how far you can divide your Yang chakra without letting your Yin overwhelm it and kill you. For me that means I can only make around 100 because then my Yin Chakra is 100 times larger than my Yang."

"But wait, why am I not dead then? My Yang must a lot bigger than my Yin if I'm Genin level on Yin and double Kage level on Yang."

"Because you grew up like that, that is the primary reason the fourth was forced to use a newborn, if he used an adult without inhuman chakra control they would be killed immediately by the influx of Yang. Now, how far would you have to divide your chakra for you to die of overwhelming yin? If you had as good chakra control as me I mean."

"Well Kage level is one thousand times larger than Genin level, so if I have Genin level Yin and double Kage level Yang." Ummmm Naruto Squeezed his head between his hands and started mumbling to himself trying to solve the problem.

"And now you know why Math is important to a shinobi Naruto" Sarutobi spoke up "The answer is two hundred thousand."

"Whoa! So I can make two hundred thousand clones?" His hands started making the cross symbol before Sarutobi grabbed him. "No you can't, and don't even think about it."

He shook his head "Caution is a valuable trait in a leader Naruto. You must think before you act." He glared down at the boy "You almost killed yourself attempting that, you do not have the Chakra control I do. Your real limit is probably around two thousand, because you have abysmal chakra control."

"Now you understand the power you have been trusted with by the fourth. Two thousand screaming Genin could mean the difference in a major battle, even if they are just shadow clones." He frowned at Naruto's excited look "You won't always be able to do that however. As your Yin chakra grows and you age you will find yourself able to make less and less clones unless you focus on control. This is not necessarily a bad thing, as the clones will become more deadly, faster, and stronger."

Naruto was practically bouncing in his seat thinking about how he was going to show up Sasuke next time they fought. He had an unholy gleam in his eye while he considered the possibilities that the Hokage immediately caught on to.

"Don't make me forbid you using the Kage Bunshin Naruto, I don't want you to go about flaunting its power unnecessarily." He frowned as the Genin slumped in his seat. "Regardless, we need to talk about how we're going to use your unique situation to help you learn the most."

"Huh? What do you mean? It's just a jutsu!" Naruto eyed the third like he was a little crazy "What can it do to help me learn?"

Sarutobi rolled his eyes, "Weren't you listening earlier when I… You know never mind I'll demonstrate! Make me a shadow clone Naruto. Then go over to the forest"

"Whatever you say Old man!" Naruto did as asked and then ran over to the forest

"Now, come back and talk to me Naruto" Sarutobi said this in a low voice to the clone, then punched it in the face.

Naruto immediately came running back from the woods, "What'd you punch me for?"

"How did you know that I punched you? And why did you come back?"

"What? You just did it, and you told me to come back!"

"No I didn't, I told your clone" Naruto looked confused

"Do you remember when I was talking about how your yin chakra wasn't split? How your memories were protected from being scattered because they were connected to the pool of Yin?"

"Oh yeah! So that's why I know what my clone knows! Cause his memories are my memories! So I can study with them!"

Sarutobi smiled, "Correct! But like all things there are limitations Naruto. The Shadow Clone is a dangerous forbidden technique for a reason."

"One thousand Naruto's I could read the whole library in like a week! This is awesome, thanks Old man!"

"Naruto!" Sarutobi snapped, pay attention! "Make one clone, then ten more, ten more. In that order" As Naruto did as asked Sarutobi dispelled them quickly. Then looked at Naruto standing there watching curiously. "Now make me two more, and don't dispel these" He said to the visibly more tired Naruto.

"Each of these clones contains about as much energy as an average Genin. I had you waste that much energy so that you would listen closely to the most important warning of today."

"So this is what others feel like?" Naruto smiled and laughed "No wonder they can sit in those boring classes, I'm exhausted! How about you guys? He said to his two clones."

"Yeah I'm really tired!" they said at the same time and turned to glare at one another.

"Alright, Listen up" Sarutobi glared at the Genin "I don't want any trouble from any of you. Now, the most important thing you need to know Naruto is that if you stretch your mind too thin trying to cover clones you will destroy your mind, a form of mental paralysis that comes from an overload of sensory input it causes convulsions, a dulling of the senses, and loss of fine motor control."

At the horrified looks he thought to clarify, "Don't worry, it won't happen from small numbers of clones, but if you were to make one thousand for example and read a whole library…" He shrugged "You can see why this is important, as your Yin grows you can stretch it further and you'll have a more solid grasp on the world. Which will in turn allow you to absorb more knowledge over time from your clones."

"Now there are different types of knowledge, but you really only need to know two things about them. First the more similar it is to things you've done before the less it will upset your mind. Think about all the times you've boiled water. Do you remember each and every one? No of course not, they meld together in your mind. This is the same with memories gained from shadow clones."

"The second is that books tend to become simple facts instead of a memory of reading the book. Think back to any scroll you read a long time ago. Do you remember reading it? Of course not, but you probably remember what it said right? This cuts down on the memory impact, though it can affect the way you recall information, so anything very important you'll probably want to go over it once as a real person."

"Now I'm sure you have some Questions, but first, dispel your Bunshin. And then tell me if you still have a question."

A confused Naruto did as asked and then his eyes brightened when he popped them at the same time. "Thanks old man! That really helped! It's like I listened to you three times! Let me think for a second." He put his chin in his hand and stared at the ground for a second. "Ooh! I've got a question! How many do you think I should use?"

"It depends on the material Naruto, if you're reading I wouldn't put out more than two or three, and then meditate while you dispel those. If you're practicing taijutsu forms you can could have out ten or so, but only for short periods of time."

Naruto looked a bit embarrassed as he asked "and how do you meditate? I got kicked out of that class"

Sarutobi didn't look surprised "We'll work on that first then, I'll set you up with a Yamanaka. They're masters of meditating, but before you attempt to meditate you should do what you did earlier to get rid of Yang chakra."

"Now I've got to get back to work, I'll see you in one week back here, and I expect a detailed list of what you've learned this week. There should be a decent mix of history and math in there, you can go to Iruka for remedial texts."

"And Naruto," he said with a hard edge to his voice "if you don't have that scroll I'm going to assume you don't want to be Hokage, and I will terminate your status as a trainee. Do you understand?" He put back on the hat and prepared to Shunshin back to the tower.

"Hai Hokage-sama!" Naruto said in a bright voice and smiled at his favorite Old man, "thank you Hokage-sama!"

"Good luck Genin Uzumaki" He smiled and disappeared in a swirl of leaves. Leaving his favorite Genin to celebrate his promotion and apprentice status.

As he arrived at the tower he grimaced a little as he thought about the paperwork and waved to his secretary as he walked in to his office shutting the door. He immediately turned around and spoke in a commanding voice. "I expect an ANBU to follow the boy around and see what he's doing this coming week, intervening if necessary with the library to let him study academy texts." He created a shadow clone and with one last look at the village before starting on the paperwork, his clone beside him spoke, "The things I do for this village."


	2. Surrender

Hey guys, so I didn't expect anyone other than the people I asked too to actually read this, so I wasn't really prepared to try writing anything beyond this first chapter.

I don't think I'm going to pursue the idea beyond this point, so good luck to anyone who wants to try continuing it! You have my blessing!

My only request is that you don't let him become ridiculously OP super-fast. The mental Limit on the clones he can do is a pretty hard one to overcome, and is primarily overcome by age and experience. So don't let it become a standard OP Naruto Fic.


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